Traditional theme park planning involves the who, what, and where of hitting rides at the optimal times, shuttles to and from hotels, and planning around nap times and meal times, but what if you are the meal? Whether you’re breastfeeding or pumping milk inserting a theme park full of thousands of strangers, hubbub and noise can make even the most confident mom seek out a quiet area to sit.After a whirlwind trip to Florida with an 8 year old, 22 month old and 2 month old let me steer you toward some of the solutions I found at the parks we visited.
Universal Islands of Adventure- Steer clear of the entire Harry Potter area if you want privacy. By far the most crowded area of the park there is an audience wherever you go. Step a little outside of the Harry Potter zone and you will be near Sinbad’s Village. There is a first aid center there. They were extremely courteous and even gave me a little exam room with a rocker and plugs to go into to nurse my daughter. If the rooms are full there is a seating area in the lobby that is still private. This is your best bet if you are pumping. Other hideaway spots I found were the If I Ran the Zoo playground in Seuss Landing. This rambling area has plenty of areas to sit with your little one. Just be sure that you aren’t in range of any of the toys that shoot water! If you are near the Incredible Hulk coaster there are multiple benches and a patio area with tables and chairs. The constant wooshing as the coaster went by proved especially handy as naptime white noise.
Walt Disney World The Magic Kingdom – All of the Walt Disney World Parks have Baby Care Centers. The one in the Magic Kingdom is located next to the Crystal Palace Restaurant, right off of Main Street. As they go this one is not as big as some of the other parks. You will have to leave your stroller outside, so have everything packed into a bag and ready to go in. For pumping mothers this will be your best bet in the park as there are several nursing booths with plugs. There is also a main room with a TV, books and children’s furniture. I chose to nurse in this room because my toddler could entertain herself. Other great nursing tricks involved timing feedings with taking in shows like Mickey’s Philharmagic. This way our entire schedule didn’t revolve around the baby and we got to maximize attraction time. Our other go-to was riding the It’s a Small World Ride. It was one of the few that allowed infant in arms so the entire family was able to ride it together. The wait time tended to be decent and the ride is fairly long so it gave a good amount of time to nurse.
Legoland Florida – Legoland Florida by far had the nicest nursing center. It was beautiful. Microwaves, fridges, nursing booths with nursing stools and the most adorable set of mommy/child rocking chairs in each. I wish I could say I used it but I didn’t. The nursing center is located in a structure that has a covered outdoor playground and an indoor room with legos galore to play with (including giant foam ones to build forts out of). We were looking for an escape from the heat and found this oasis. The older two kids were immediately drawn to the playroom and it had some benches so I ended up nursing in there so I could stay with the rest of the family. This area had plugs as well so a pumping mother could use either area.
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